Method and means for packaging foods



Sept. 27, 1938. I J. KANTOR METHOD AND MEANS FOR PACKAGING FOO'VDS Filed April 16, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JIZ/n ea 162/1 i 0/- BY ATTORNEY5.

Sept. 27, 1938. J. KANTOR METHOD AND MEANS FOR PACKAGING FOODS Filed April 16, 1956 2 Sheets-S11E61 2 v INVENTOR. J5me: 12 312 for, BY

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ATTORNEY.

Patented. Sept. 27, 1938.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND MEANS FOR PACKAGING FOODS James Kantor, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Liquid Carbonic Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation or Delaware Application April 16, 1936, Serial No. 74,626 1 is mounted in suitable guides 9 at the front edges "llclalml.

My invention relates to improvements in method and apparatus for packaging foods and like materials.

It has been recognized that foods deteriorate in the air and, as a result, various means have been resorted to for excluding the air from a package in which foods are packed. Certain methods, as for instance, the creating of a vacuum in the package, or rather the exhaustion of the air from the package after the food has been deposited therein, and then sealing the package, have been resorted to. However, such processes are expensive and, as amatter of fact, it is extremely difficult to exclude all of the air. Furthermore, a vacuum package requires a much stronger container as there is a certain amount or pressure exerted on the outer walls of the container when the vacuum or partial vacuum is pulled.

It is one of the objects of my invention to provide a method and means for packaging coiiee, nuts, meats, cereals, dry milk and-like material, wherein the material is deposited in a container from which all air has been excluded, and, furthermore, by my method, the particles of food in the package are, as a matter of fact, surrounded by an inert gas, thereby preventing all contact of any air which might happen to be in the mass of material with the particles.

For the purpose of disclosing my invention, I have illustrated an embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation 01' a packaging apparatus for carrying out my invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof; and

' Fig. 3 is a detail of the clutch throwout mechanism.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, I provide a base or table I on which the various parts are adapted to be mounted. Extending upwardly from this table is a supporting head 2 which, at its upper end, carries a hopper 3.-

Arranged' at the delivery end of this hopper is a rotary delivery valve 4 having four radial arms 5 between which are formed pockets 8. These pockets constitute measuring chambers and, in the structure illustrated, are of such a size to accommodate one pound of material. It is obvious, however, that variations may be made in the size of the pockets by any suitable means in order to modify the amount of material delivered. Below the valve is provided a delivery chute I. Arranged beneath the delivery chute [and slidably supported on the front face 01' the base I is a reciprocating table 8. This table or the support i and is reclprocated vertically by suitable mechanism to be hereinafter described. 1

Immediately beneath the delivery spout I, I 5 V arrange a gassing tube mounted on the support Ill extending transversely of the head 2 and slidably supported therein. This tube comprises an' inner material guiding tube H which is flared outwardly as at l2 to receive the bottom end of 10 takes of! fromthe conduit I1 and is connected with a pipe or other delivery nozzle I8 which extends downwardly through the center of the tube ll substantially tothe bottom thereof. At

suitable intervals throughout its length, this pipe 25 is provided with delivery openings 20. 1

For operating the delivery and measuring valve 4 and for controlling the gas supply valve 2| which is locatedin the supply pipe ll, Iprovide a reciprocating rod 22 which'is connected, at its lower end, with the reciprocating table 8. This rod is provided with a pair of spaced apart stops 23 and 24 between 'which is located a movable collar' 25 having a pin operating in a slot 26 in the control handle or lever 21 oi-the gas valve 2l.- These stops are suitably spaced from one another to provide a proper interval between the opening of the valve and the closing thereof, in order to allow the gas to be delivered to the material, guide tube It and the gassing tube i3 for an appreciable time. Above the stop 24 I mount a second pair 02 stops 28 and 29. These stops are spaced apart vertically on the rod 22 and are adapted to move 45 of the arms 5 for the purpose of rotating the valve 4 one step. In order to prevent back-lash oi the valve, I provide a dog 14 adapted to engage a ratchet 35 on the opposite side of the valve 4. The stops 28 and 29 are vertically spaced to give,

likethe stops 2! and 24, an appreciable pause or interval of time between each operation of the valve.

In operation, the container to be filled, and in this instance, the container is illustrated asTa carton 36, is placed on the table 6. The gassing tube l3, being smaller than the carton, as the carton rises with the table 8, the gassing tube is projected into the carton and at about the time that the carton reaches the uppermost limit of its movement, the valve 2| will have been opened, thereby admitting CO: to the gassing tube I3 and,

likewise, to the pipe IS. The admission of the CO: to the bottom of the carton immediately displaces such air as may be contained in the carton, and the CO1 being heavier than air, as the C: fiows into the bottom of the carton, the same forces the air out up through the top of the carton. At the same time, CO2 is admitted to the material guiding tube ll thereby filling this tube with CO2. During the admission of the CO: to the carton, the dog 3| will have engaged one of the pins 33 rotating the measuring and delivering valve and causing a measured quantity of coffee or other food to pass'down through the spout 'I and through the guiding tube ll so that this quantity of material is deposited in and falls through an atmosphere of CO2 thereby thoroughly impregnating the material with C0: and forcing out from around the particles of the material, any air which might have been carried down into the guiding tube with the material. By the time the contents of the measuring and delivering.

valve have been deposited in the guiding and delivering tube l I, the table 8 will commence to descend, drawing the carton away fromthe bottom of 'the guiding and delivery tube and away from the bottom of the gassing tube, and with it, the material which is contained in the guiding tube ll. During thisperiod, however, it will be noted that CO2 is constantly being delivered both to the gassing tube and the guiding tube so that air cannot enter the tube nor can it get in contact with the contents as it is delivered to the carton. When the table has reached the bottom of its downward stroke, the valve 2| will be cut of! pending the delivery of another carton, and the process will be repeated. Of course, as soon as the carton has been filed with the measured quantity of material, it will be transferred to a proper sealing machine which will effectually seal the carton while the same is still full of CO2. method, therefore, provides .a means for sealing the material in the carton in the presence of an atmosphere of inert gas or CO: to such an extent that practically all air is eliminated from the carton and from the contents deposited in the carton.

For the purpose of reciprocating the table 8, I provide an operating arm 36 pivotallyconnected at 35 with the table 8 and pivoted to the base I at 45; This arm is provided with a roller 4| operating on a cam 42 and it will be noted that the cam is of such shape that there will bea dwell at two points in the movement of the arm. This cam 42 is mounted on a shaft 43 driven bygear 44 fixed thereon, and in turn meshing with a pinion 45 rotatably mounted on shaft 40. The hub of the pinion 45 has rotatively mounted thereon a driving gear 46, in turn meshing with the pinion 41 on the shaft of a motor 48. The pinion 46 is provided on one face thereof with a clutch recess 49 adapted to be engaged by a dog '50 mounted in a clutch member fixed on the hub of the gear 45. This dog 56 is biased in an engaging direction by a coiled spring 52, and is provided with a groove 53in its face. An operating cam lever 54 This is pivoted as at 55 to the frame I and is provided with a cam end 56. The lever 54 is biased inits downward direction by a spring 51 and is adapted to be raised by a foot lever 56 connected with a lever 54 by a link 55. when the lever. 54 is pulled to its downward position by the spring 51, it is adapted to engage in the slot 53 and pull the dog into a disengaged position. when, however, the lever 54 is raised by the foot lever 58, the cam 56 is out of the path of the recess 53, thereby permitting the coiled spring 52 to move the dog into engaging position and thus, by the clutch, connect the gear 46 with the hub of the gear 45 and establish driving relation between the motor and the table 6. A suitable lock 60 is provided by which, if the operator desires, the foot pedal 56 may be held in its depressed position, thereby leaving the clutch in operative condition at all times.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of packaging food in a container, which consists in filling the container with an inert gas, through a tube inserted in the container to a point near the bottomthereof and delivering into the container the food, through a second tube filled with inert gas from a source separate from the food source-and introduced into the container to a point near the bottom thereof.

2. The method of packaging food in a container, which consists in filling the container with an inert gas introduced through a tube inserted in the container, toa point near' the bottom thereof, introducing the food into the container through a second tube discharging near the bottom of the container and simultaneously flooding said second-mentioned tube with an inert gas from a source separate from the food source.

3. The method of packaging food in a container which consists in filling the container with an inert gas to expel the air therefrom through a tubeintroduced into the container to a point near the bottom of the container, depositing the food for the container in a second tube introduced into the container and opening near the bottom.

thereof, flooding said second-mentioned tube with an inert gas from a source separate from the food source and withdrawing the package from both tubes, without substantially agitating the food.

4. The method of packaging food in a container. which consists in inserting a tube into the container to a point near the bottom thereof, delivering through said tube an inert gas to fill the container therewith and thereby expel the air from said container, introducing into said'container to a point near the bottom thereof a second tube, separately flooding saidsecond tube with an inert gas and delivering a measured quantity of food into said second tube, and finally withdrawing the container with the food therein away from said tubes without substantially agitating the food.

5. An apparatus for packaging food, in combination, a reciprocating support for a food con tainer, a delivery tube mounted above said sup port, comprising a material guiding tube and a' gas tube surrounding and spaced apart from said material guiding tube, means for relatively moving said tubes and support to project said tubes into a container on said support to a point approximately at the bottom of the container, means for delivering a measured quantity of food into said inner tube and means for delivering CO: to the outer and the inne 'ubes.

6. An apparatus for packaging food comprising, in combination, a reciprocating container support, a pair of delivery tubes, one surrounding the other, means for relatively moving said support and tubes to project the tubes into a container carried by said support to a point approximately at the bottom of the container, means for connecting the outer tube with a supply of CO2, a C02 delivery nozzle extending into the said inner tube, a food measuring apparatus delivering into said inner tube, and means for controlling the supply of CO2 to both of said tubes operated by the relative movement between said tubes and the container.

7. An apparatus for delivering food into a container comprising, in combination, means for measuring the food to be delivered, a reciprocating table adapted to support the food container,

8. The method of packaging food in a container, which consists in filling the container with an inert gas to expel the air therefrom, inserting in said container an open bottomed delivery member to a point near the bottom of the container, separately flooding said delivery member with an inert gas and flowing the food into the container laterally from the bottom of said delivery member without undue agitation of the food.

9. The method of packaging food in a container which consists in filling a container with an inert gas to expel theair from said container, introducing into said container an open bottomed delivery member to a point near'the bottom of the container, depositing the food in said delivery member while simultaneously fiooding said delivery member with an inert gas and gradually removing said delivery member from the container, while maintaining a supply of inert gas to said delivery member during the removal thereof.

10. The method of packaging food in a container which consists in initially filling the container with an inert gas and inserting guiding means in the container to a point near the bottom thereof, then delivering apredetermined quantity of food into said guiding means through a separately supplied atmosphere of inert gas, contained in said guiding means, and removing said guiding means and leaving the food in the container.

11. The method of packaging food in a container which consists in initially filling the container with an inert gas and inserting in the container an open bottom tubular guide to a point near the bottom of the container, then simultaneously delivering a predetermined quantity of food and a separately supplied inert gas into said guide and finally removing the guide from the container while leaving the food in the container.

JAMES KANTOR. 

